


Comedown

by wwatd



Series: Breakdown Lives - AU [2]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous Relationships, Breakdown Lives (Transformers), Episode: s02e07 Crossfire, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27795148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wwatd/pseuds/wwatd
Summary: Second Installment in the “Breakdown Lives AU”Set during the second half of “Crossfire”, Breakdown attempts to prove himself in the face of Airachnid’s challenge against Megatron.  Beyond this, he has to consider the vacant space of second-in-command and why Dreadwing’s death refuses to leave his mind.
Series: Breakdown Lives - AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031826
Kudos: 5





	Comedown

“You can’t be serious!” He puts a firm servo on his chest, bewildered at the sheer idea of it.He supposes seeing Dreadwing die may have been a lot, but suffering his own injuries wasn’t simply _helm_ trauma, he couldn’t in good faith discharge him when he’s still hot with welds.“How are you even going to get down there?”

“I’ll ask Soundwave,” he says, stepping off of the berth anyway.Knockout doesn’t get in his way, but keeps to his side as he heads for the door.He hadn’t expected Airachnid’s coup to start this soon after her defecting.He had expected Megateon to rise to the challenge, however, and got the hunch that both of them would be needed after the trifle.

“It’s not going to do any good to see it up close,” Knockout raises an optical ridge, trying to see the reason in his impulses.“And our prideful leader certainly isn’t going to let you _interfere_.”

“He might need the backup.I’ll bring a couple of troops with me,” Breakdown defends, heading for the brig.Knockout clenches his servoes in a mix of frustration and resignation.

“I’m hardly the one to stop you, you’re your own mech after all, but does this _really_ seem like the best idea?”

Breakdown stops for a moment.He looks at Knockout, thinks, then replies, “No.”

“But,” Knockout sighs, “you’re going to do it anyway.”

“Yep.Wish me luck, Doc.”

Knockout doesn’t follow when he begins walking again.“If you come back with any new scratches I won’t forgive you,” he calls out, “so don’t even think about engaging!”

“Engaging?I haven’t been engaged in four megaannum!”

Knockout smiles and watches him for a klik linger before returning to the medbay.If he can’t stop Breakdown from putting himself in trouble, he can at least help him once he gets out of it.And this, between Dreadwing’s death and the sudden insurgence of Insecticons, is a copious amount of trouble.

Breakdown ends up comming Soundwave before he even gets to the brig, unsure of whether or not the intelligence officer was even onboard.There’s a delay in time long enough that makes him question whether he’ll even consider bridging him to the battle, but he concedes to the request and allows him an sent overlooking the furious fight between Megatron and an Insecticon.

His optic passes away from them, skimming the sidelines for the mech he knows is here.Finally, he spots her, taunting from a place in the rocks with a sadistically sanguine grin.

Breakdown thinks of jumping down there himself, smashing in her helm before she even knows what hits her.Did she take Dreadwing by surprise, he wonders?His frame was too mangled to make any fatal wounds glaring, he doubts anyone short of Airachnid herself could make out how it went down.

His pede inches closer to the edge.He steps back.

Megatron may be preoccupied, but he wouldn’t like Breakdown killing Airachnid before he got the opportunity to.

Even if Breakdown could say he was getting justice for Dreadwing.Even though she had tried to kill him, too.Even though, he suspects, Megatron wants Airachnid dead regardless of _who_ kills her because that might be the very reason he sent them all out there together.Even though all of this is making Breakdown feel stupidly angry for falling for it and the only thing he wants right now is to crush that horribly heinous faceplate of hers in.

He takes another step back.Then another.Then another, before charging himself over the edge and landing hard enough on the ground that the loose rocks break beneath his pedes.

Airachnid’s grin turns to a snarl, wide eyed and bitter at his presence.She stands, preparing for a fight of her own.“Couldn’t get enough of me, could you?” She asks, “if you keep throwing yourself at me, I might begin to think you like me.”

“Hardly,” Breakdown transforms his servo into a hammer, inching closer to her.“I just think it’s about time someone cut you down to size!” He lunges at her, shoulder cannon firing at one of her hind spindles as she jumps back.Airachnid shrieks, not yet recovered from her previous stilt’s severing.Breakdown moves to swing at her again when something heavy crushes into his back.

His chassis hits the ground _hard_ , the cry of the Insecticon and the claws in his arms pushing him into mild panic.Suddenly, it’s swung off him.Breakdown rolls onto his side, watching as Megatron hefts the creature off of his back and into the nearest wall.

Breakdown gets back onto his pedes, whipping back around to face Airachnid.He aims again, but halts.Airachnid has foregone their tiff, engaged in battle with the Autobot’s two-wheeler.

Wait, Autobots?

Breakdown doesn’t watch Airachnid run off, instead skimming the perimeter for any other interferences.It was rare that an Autobot was on their own like this, bold in their movements and meddling with Decepticon infighting.There _had_ to be more of them, but _where_?

Megatron’s wrath snaps him out of his gaze, having gained a newfound confidence as he begins to tear through the Insecticon’s very cabling.Breakdown doesn’t move, unsure of what to do.Does he follow Airachnid and the two-wheeler, hoping to finish her off?Leaving Megatron alone sounds like the worst option.He’s still standing, but the fight dragged on too long to be considered an easy victory.

He could operate on the battlefield, should he have to.The presence of Autobots has made him uneasy, he can’t leave, but he’s no better off than Megatron is when it comes to getting surrounded.

Breakdown shuffles off to the shaded areas of the cliff side, trying to make himself unseen.He wants to help Megatron.He’s already lost Dreadwing to being separated, and Dreadwing wasn’t their leader.Breakdown isn’t even far off, he could sprint up there and fight like hell.

But fighting like hell might not save them, this time.Megatron’s exhausted, there’s no way they can tackle the same ‘bots they’ve been struggling to kill for years.

Breakdown activates his comm again.“Soundwave, I need two air fleets.At least.Things aren’t going good down here.” He cuts the line and hopes backup arrives before Prime gets wise and shoots Megatron while he’s down.

He stays quiet and tense.Their blasters are up, all aimed at a singular mech, but they haven’t shot.They’re talking, saying something Breakdown can’t make up from this far away.His audial are trying to adjust, but everything’s starting to sound like jet engines powering down.

_Jet engines._

Their landings come one after the other, solider after solider hitting the ground as their blasters charge and aim.The Autobots realize their situation, as does Megatron.Breakdown exhales in relief, glad he’s helped in putting them on even ground.No, they’ve got the advantage now, don’t they?The soldiers may not be the best shots, but they’re all backed against a wall.

Megatron’s low rolling voice finally hits Breakdown’s audials, pushing back any fatigue as he calls his troops to arms.Breakdown pushes himself out of the shadows, charging his own weaponry.Optics flash to him in surprise, only for a moment, and the signal to fire flies.

Breakdown wastes no time in getting to Megatron, dodging hits from both sides.He doesn’t think he’s ever dared to get this close to him before, he can see the scuffs from battle on his chassis.He loops a heavy arm around his shoulders, relieved that he gives little resistance to the help.

He means to comm Soundwave again; as much as he wants to, fighting isn’t an option right now.They’ve both had a lot happen today and the Autobots don’t seem like they’re being the cautious type today.

As they reach the far ends of the cavern and as his digit touches to the communicator, a groundbridge opens.Breakdown doesn’t barrel into it.His processor warns him about the chance of it leading back to the Autobots’ base, making him question why _now_ of all moments it’s decided to take charge.

Megatron pushes from his grasp, heading for the groundbridge on his own.

_Or,_ he realizes, _Megatron commed Soundwave before I did._

Breakdown follows, keeping an optic on him as the bridge closes behind them.

Megatron has his shoulders set back when he catches up to him, walking with enough ease that someone could doubt the Insecticon was a challenge at all.He was heading for the medbay, undoubtably, but showed no sign of injury.Breakdown was positive they were _there_ , though, and wanted to usher this along as soon as he could.

He pings Knockout to prep the bay, to which he gets a single response of ‘ _done_.’Breakdown holds back a smile, proud to see his partner staying on top of things.Control was important, nowadays, you couldn’t afford to lose advantages gained.

Walking with Megatron, Breakdown thinks this may count.

He hasn’t _thought_ about it, not really.Everyone could assume that there would be someone to fill the role of SIC, somehow, even after the lost of Airachnid and Dreadwing.Breakdown figured that Soundwave wasn’t going to step up to the plate, if he hadn’t before.He’s never even seen a drone in anything marginally classified as ‘high command’.With that, the pool of candidates is near empty.

There’s Knockout and there’s him.

Breakdown has an easier time admitting than Knockout that they wouldn’t make the best second-in-commands.He wants to prove his worth to Megatron, sure, but a workload of that size is something he’s never even fantasized of having.Taking orders was easier than giving them, being in charge of smaller squadrons have him some more free time than overlooking a whole army would.

If Megatron offered him, he wouldn’t refuse it.He’d be circuit-fried to back down.But Megatron hasn’t been a huge fan of his first Lieutenant as of late, they’ve been taking the brunt of his attention for months now.It was a relief to have some time off between shifts and duties, he and Knockout had survived almost solely on those breaks.Moving up a ranking means a lot more work and a lot less time to think about what the hell’s happening.

The thought makes him ill.His tanks react to his sudden bout of nerves, feeling like they’re being gnawed through from the inside out.Breakdown has the advantage here, doesn’t he?He’s one of the best candidates for the open position, it just so happens to be a position once filled by mehca who are all either dead or exiled.

Megatron blissfully ignores the issue on the way over.Knockout is standing idle when they enter, already prepared to get into the worst parts of Megatron’s dents.His optics glance to Breakdown for a moment, however, and he glares for an instant.Breakdown frowns, wondering if he’d ended up with any new scratches.

From a quick look down, he finds none.He’s not #1 priority anyway, they can fix him later.

Breakdown gets on the opposite side of Megatron as he reclines back onto the medical berth.Knockout is already scanning over his chassis, a low whistle emitting from his voice box.“It didn’t pull any punches, did it?” He remarks, spotting an internal leakage near one of his joints.

Megatron growls, but says nothing.His processor is elsewhere, now, and both know better than to snap him out of his thoughts.

Knockout gives Breakdown an almost invisible shrug and begins to pry back some of his plating.Breakdown starts to get rid of the residual frays of webbing on his arm cannon and the two hunker down for a solid hour of repairs.

*

“You’ve been thinking about this a lot,” Knockout observes in the comfort of their own quarters.There’s a chill in his tone, strangely neutral and distant.“You haven’t told me what happened, either.”

“We fought,” Breakdown doesn’t know how else to phrase it.He gave Knockout an overview when he was working on him, but he didn’t go into too much detail. _It was horrifying, is that what I’m supposed to say?_ Breakdown knows his partner well, they’ve been together for eons, but they don’t think alike in every way.He’s not sure what Knockout would’ve done if it had happened to him.

Breakdown pauses, turns his helm up and looks at Knockout.Primus, he almost _died_.He almost left Knockout alone with no warning and he can’t imagine living happily without him.Knockout’s strong, probably stronger than he is with these kinds of things, maybe he could continue in a Breakdown-less universe.He hopes he’d be able to, it’s never certain when anyone’s bound to keel.

“We hardly knew him,” Knockout continues, “I’m not saying you don’t have the right to be a little bit distraught over this, but...” he stares at him, a blend of confused and concerned.“It’s happened.It’s done.”

“I know, Doc,” he replies, and maybe if he says _I almost lost you_ that would make everything easier to talk about.If he could just lean over and hug him right now, forgetting about what this might mean to him and instead think about what he means to Knockout.Breakdown wants to talk to him constantly about it, talking with Knockout is so damn easy that having this be difficult makes him feel hopeless.

He _isn’t_ supposed to be this upset over Dreadwing.He was just another casualty Breakdown had been witness to, this isn’t the first time he’s seen someone die from infighting.They’d all become desensitized to this, backing out of that mentality now is weakness.

Breakdown lays back, placing his servoes over his waist as he stares up at the ceiling.Maybe it’d be best to change the subject.Knockout knows it’s weird he keeps thinking about it, Breakdown shouldn’t be alienating him any further.“How d’you think Screamer is holding up?” He asks.

Knockout makes an unimpressed noise, “I doubt he’s managed to survive after all this time.Maybe Unicron got to him.”

The thought of Starscream being dead somewhere strikes a similar chord in Breakdown.He scowls.Okay, this wasn’t such a good topic. 

“But maybe he’s alive,” Knockout rectifies, as if sensing his disheartenment.“Meandering about, just.Scheming, I suppose.”

Breakdown smiles a bit at that.He’s not a fan of Starscream’s constant treachery, but he was at least amusing at moments.He wouldn’t doubt the seeker was terrorizing whoever he could, regardless of affiliation.He had a special knack for pissing people off.

“Probably,” he agrees, “I bet he’s resorted to spooking the locals.”

Knockout laughs, “better them than us.”

_Yeah_ , he thinks, spark pounding as he remembers how easy it was when Starscream was still around, _right_.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, author here. I’ve got a tumblr, if you want to check it out or ask me anything about my plans for this AU.
> 
> https://drootsnoop.tumblr.com


End file.
